Apparatus for radio communication



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R. Q. BENNER APPARATUS FOR RADIO COMMUNICATION Filed Few. 28, 1922 Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND C. BENNEB, OF BAYSIDE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'I'O NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR RADIO COMMUNICATION.

Application filed February 28, 1922. Serial No. 539,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND C. BENNER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Bayside, in the county of Queens and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Radio Communication, of which the following is a specification.

In radio communication, an electron tube is commonly used in conjunction with'one or more series-connected batteries, each comrising several cells, and usually termed a plate battery or B battery. This combination is used, in known manner, in connection with a wide variety of apparatus, a telephone being ordinarily arranged in some portion of the installation to transform the energy of electrical currents flowing through the circuit into audible emissions.

The battery of such a combination, may comprise, for example, fifteen series-connected dry cells... In assembling dry cells into a series-connected battery, it has been usual to arrange the cells in a plurality of closely spaced rows in order to secure a compact package. I have discovered that when the battery is to be used in a combination of the kind described, a decided improvement in action is obtained if the. units are arranged in a single line.-

For illustration, my inventionwill be described in connection with an embodiment which includes a battery, an electron; tube and a telephone, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown diagrammatically, the combination of electron tube, B battery, and telephone as modified and improved in accordance with my invention.

Without limiting myself to any particular theory of operation, I may state that my present knowledge leads me to ascr be the improvement to the following:

In the arrangement of cells now generally employed, there are hown fifteen cylindricalav dry cells disposed in three rows of five cells each. The line of current flow in any two adjacent rows may be likened to a letter U, thevertical strokes of the letter representing rows of cells and the connec ion between these vertical strokes representing the electrical connection between the end cells in the two rows. With such an arrangement, the rows being disposed close together to save space, the potential difierences between It is, of course,

certain adjacent cells are multiples of the E M. F. of a single cell. This potential dlfl'erence between adjacent cells reaches a maximum between the cells located at adjacent ends of the rows at the points correspondlng to the top extremities of the U. the zinc electrodes which approach one another most closely and at this point the potential difl'erence between adjacent zines is the product of the E. M. F. of ,a single cell by a factor which is the total number of cells in'the two rows, diminished by 1, or 9 in the particular case referred to.

This potential difference may exceed 13 volts in the example.

'Ihe insulation requirements in such a circult are very rigorous since the telephoneis adapted to be operated by very minute currents, and exceedingly minute current variations superposed on the operating current sufiice to interfere seriously with the action of the telephone. Under the conditions noted, with comparatively high potential differences between closely adjacent parts of the circuit, ,adequate insulation becomes a difficult, matter. The access of moisture to the insulation and especially the access of electrolyte which may; be exuded from the cells, may suflice to permit the leakage of currents of such magnitude as to alter the .terminal voltage of the battery, the fluctuations being small but nevertheless sufficient to affect the telephone seriously. Leakage currents set up in this way are not constant but fluctuate continually because of polarization of the surfaces between which they flow and because of other variables, andthese fluctuations are all converted into audible vibrations at the telephone and superposed upon the normal function of the instrument, thereby interfering with its operation. I

also regard it as possible that the condenser action of such a battery is an additional disturbing factor, being not onlya distributed capacitance but one subject to fluctuations, for reasons similar 'to those which may occasion fluctuations in current leakage.

I have found by actual test that a receiv-. ing apparatus using a B battery with flat electrodes parallel in space, is less subject to undesired oscillations than a similar apparatus equipped with a B? battery of t e usual type. I have also found that a B battery of flat cells used in circuits carrying with a solution of salts. The conductive currents of radio frequency makes the recoatings 7 serve to mechanically separate ceiv'er somewhat more sensitive to weak sigand electrically connect the individual cells. nals. These effects may be due to a lower The cells are assembled in a box 11 and internal resistance in t e battery, but it is may be placed under compression by wedges my belief that the improvement is mainly 12. p A plastic insulating material 13, suchdue to a more favorable magnitude an as pitch, is poured about the cells and serves distribution of the capacity reactance of the effectively to insulate them. The batte 2 battery. It will be apparent from the paralis suitably connected in-circuit with an e ec- 7o lel arrangement of the electrodes in the pretron tube 14 and telephone 15. ferred arrangement, and from the manner With a battery of this type,not only is of electrically connecting the cells of the the space-economy fora given current out battery, that the magnitude and distribuput better than with types having plural tion of the capacity reactance will be materows of cylindrical cells, but the distance rially diflerent than with the usual arrangebetween any pair ofelectrodes, like or unment of cells, but I am not aware of any like, is roughly proportional to the dif-.

, reasoning by which it might be determined, ference between their potentials. It will a riori, that this diiference would favorably be apparent that this arrangement strongly.

a ect the sensitiveness of a receiver. ThlS favorsthe elimination of current leakage,

effect was discovered experimentally. and it probably tends to produce a more con- Whatever the true cause may be, I have stant capacitance. On actual test, the comfound that improved results are obtained bination is found to be more free from 'unby arranging the electromotive units concontrollable disturbing influences than is a stituting the battery in a single row; and combination which includes plural rows of especially good results are obtained when cells. l suchunits are constituted of electrodes pre- An electron tube has been described as 'senting-substantially plane surfaces. A flat the device for controlling'the action of the Y cell battery of the type disclosed in the apbattery onthe telephone, but other devices pllication of- Carl S. Rider and Alton K. of similar action and requiring a battery or untley covering improvements in' batteries .batteries of high-voltage type are equivalent Y of dry cells and processes of assembling the to an electron tube in this connection. It same, filed March 11, 1922, Ser. No. 543,095, is obvious that the controlling device need wherein the anodes and cathodes of adjanot be connected directly to the battery and cent cells are in direct contact, a single structelephone. Y tural element or duplex electrode prefer- In View of these described and other 0bably performing the functions of both the vious modifications, my invention is limited cathode of one cell and the anode of one of only by the appended claims.

the adjacent cells, has given particularly I claim:

favorable results. 4

In the drawing a 15-cell battery 2, of the B battery connected to its plate, said B type described, is shown in vertlcal longibattery comprising a plurality of cells each tudinal section. The battery is build u of having a substantially flat zinc anode, the

cells comprising fiat mix cakes 3 spaced rom zinc anodes being disposed close together and electrodes 4 by. sheets of pulpboard 5. The parallel in space and being substantially compositions of the mix and electrolyte, and completely overlappe the moisture content,,may be determined in 2. Theinvention according to claim 1 in accordance with standar dry cell practice. .which' one side of each anode is substan- Electrodes 4v consist of zinc plates 6 coated tiall entirely coated with anon-corrodible on one surface with a non-corrodible concond ductive composition 7 containing graphite. tion of one side of the cathode of an adja- One end electrode consists of a zinc plate cent cell is in contact with the coating.

. 8; the other end electrode is a zinc plate 3. In combination, an electron tube and spaced from adjacent elements by its coata B battery connected to its plate, said ln'g The end electrodes are connected to B battery comprising a plurality of cells 115 bmding posts 9 and 10. in electrical series, each cell provided with 1 For the purpose of definition, theindivida zinc anode, the anodes of adjacent cells 'ual cells ofthe battery may be considered being overlap ed and in substantially paralas comprising an anode of zinc 6, andas a lel spaced ion.

cathode the mix cake 3 mechanically sepa- In testimony whereof, I afiix-my signarated from each other by a pulp board ture. sheet 5, made conductive by saturating it j RAYMOND C. BEIYNER.

1. In combination, an electron tube and a 100 uctiv'e composition, and the major por- 

